Franco-Prussian War and Third Republic

Economic Expansion

Worldwide Cultural Renown

World War I and Its Aftermath

Europe Drifts into World War II

Surrender, Resistance, Liberation

France and the United Kingdom planned to wage a defensive war of attrition, but their strategy failed. In May 1940 German forces swept through the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium. Within a short time the road to Paris lay open. Panic and defeatism gripped the government. It retreated from Paris to Tours and later to Bordeaux. Finally, the defeatists, led by Marshal Henri-Philippe Pétain, gained control of the government and appointed Pétain prime minister. Pétain…

Postwar Chaos and Disunity

Achievements Under Four-Year Plans

Plans for European Economic Cooperation

Rebellion in Overseas Territories

De Gaulle and the Fifth Republic

Independence for Many French Colonies

France After Algeria

A New Socialist Era

Conservative Presidencies

The Hollande Administration

Additional Reading

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